I think that next year is going to be the year that WoW finally loses some numbers. Between SWTOR (which I don't think will be very good) and GW2 (which I think will be very good), people will be finished with Cataclysm, and move on, either to another MMO or other games. Obviously nothing is going to "kill it," and it's silly to talk about it that way, but Bioware and Arenanet are both quality developers that look like they're on track to make the game they want.

I have nothing against WoW personally, only that it makes other possibly good MMORPGS very hard to be successful.

You just breathed new life into MMOs! Just like stadiums being sponsored/paid for by huge companies, so can MMO quests!

Just imagine it now... The Lord of the Rings Online presents the Fedex Epic Quest Line, now with 50% more Orc Decapitations!

I'm actually looking forward to this patch, though. Have a 43 Loremaster (only paid for one month to unlock bags, traits, etc.) I like that I can take a break for a month or 3 and go back to it anytime. You never have that feeling with a subscription.

I signed up for the beta (like I do for most MMOs), just to try it out. I don't know much about the game, but it seems like they've stated that they're focusing more on PvE than PvP. Not sure where all the hate is coming from unless you've actually played it (I haven't).

As for using the beta as a marketing tool as opposed to testing purposes, it's quite easy to do both.

I like it a lot, but I liked HoMM III a lot, too. KB doesn't have base/town building like HoMM does. There's actually a demo of King's Bounty: Armored Princess on Steam, that's probably the best way to find out.

EDIT: Doh, too late. Hope you enjoy! I particularly enjoy the graphics and the way the land is set up to explore. Very whimsical-like.

StingingVelvet wrote on Nov 18, 2010, 22:13:FREE TRIAL!!!! (after you buy the game for $50)!!!!!!

I know 12 million people disagree with me, but MMOs should either cost $50 to "buy" and then have DLC or be free to download and then cost a monthly fee. They should never cost money to "buy" and then cost more money monthly.

Give it about 3-4 years and every single MMO will be following that rule.

I think you may be right, but it really depends on what kind of content the company puts out. LOTRO, in my opinion, has struck a fairly good balance on different ways to pay for an MMORPG.

And FFXIV is a horrible game, and the redemption of it is very improbable. There are too many horrible design decisions already implemented.